


Thunder

by Sonata_IX



Category: Mortal Kombat Conquest
Genre: Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-14
Updated: 2015-06-13
Packaged: 2018-04-04 07:20:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4129497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sonata_IX/pseuds/Sonata_IX
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fluffy side-story to "Between the Mists". Titania is sent to Earthrealm to locate a missing Rayden and Shao Kahn, and finds them working in a very unusual place.</p><p>First published to FF.net, Nov 28, 2011.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a fluffy little side-story that takes place sometime after "Between the Mists". If you haven't read it, for the purposes of this story you just need to know that Titania, my OC, is a goddess from another realm that had a love affair with Rayden once upon a time.
> 
> The inspiration for this story came from a photo I found online of two very Mortal Kombat-esque guys decked out like strippers. A link can be found on my profile.

Titania rapped her lacquered nails on the table where she sat alone at the nightclub. "This," she told the smoky air around her, "is why I was perfectly fine with the Elder Gods ignoring my realm."

It was an upscale place, requiring her to flash her fake membership credentials before being granted access, but at its basest it was still nothing more than a strip club for the rich and powerful. Titania dressed the part, in a crème silk blouse and matching skirt that fell to just above her knees. She wore her hair in a simple, elegant coif that ended in a tail down her back. Oversized sunglasses, the kind that all the celebrities were wearing, completed the outfit and hid her expression of distaste for the club's other patrons.

"Only you can find him," she mimicked the Elder Gods' voices. "You share a  _special_  connection." Titania snorted. "Oh dear, we misplaced the Thunder God. Whoops!"

A waiter in tight-fitting leather pants and not much else appeared at her elbow. "Beverage?" he offered in a sultry voice. Titania jerked away from him, startled, before remembering that she was supposed to be enjoying this. She lowered her sunglasses and let her eyes rake over his torso. "No," she drawled bemusedly. "Thank you." The waiter winked at her and sauntered off with more wiggle in his hips than a runway model.

The Elder Gods, as expected of any ultimate authority, had been less than forthright in their request. It was her understanding that they had set Rayden some kind of penance in the mortal world, and then…lost him.  _She_  thought that Rayden had probably lost himself deliberately, but when the Elder Gods make requests, there is only one correct answer.

At least she didn't have to track him down by mortal means. Gods are nothing if not impatient, and they were less concerned with attracting human notice than finding their wayward god quickly.

Why they thought she would be able to find him was something else they'd refused to answer. She'd set off into the wide world at random, trusting her instincts. It seemed a fruitless endeavor until she found herself standing outside of the nightclub, the main attraction splashed boldly across the sign above the door.

Performing Nightly!  
THUNDER AND LIGHTNING

A bevy of other dancers, both male and female, had been parading across the stage all evening, but it was finally time for the highly anticipated main event. The lights began to dim and Titania pushed her sunglasses stubbornly up her nose, as if removing them would be an admission that she in any way wanted to be here.

A spotlight appeared on the stage and, in spite of her determination not to be moved, Titania's breath caught in her throat.

For before her stood not one but two perfect, godly, male bodies.

Both men were clad similarly, one in black and one in white: conical Asian hats with veils that concealed the details of their faces, skintight fabric bracers from ankle to knee, and briefs that looked like they were painted on, barely opaque enough to conceal anything. The black-clad man wore a vest constructed entirely of buckles and leather straps, leaving judicious amounts of skin visible. The white-clad man wore a long-sleeved, nearly-transparent jacket.

Titania's eyes were drawn to the man in white. While black leather was appealing, the white jacket was longer and hung open, just begging her to follow its lines all…the way… _down_. She drew a quick breath, forcing her eyes upwards, and gasped again.

The men's eyes, concealed in the shadows of the veiled hats, both glowed with white electric light.

And then they began to dance. Tribal drums and a flute were their only accompaniment, and the room fell into an expectant, focused silence.

It couldn't really be called a dance, except that they were on a stage where dances had been performed all night. The men moved together and, though there was nothing overtly sexual about their gestures, they stood so close and moved with such grace that there was something profoundly intimate and sensual about the performance. There was power there too, in those rippling muscles so impressively displayed for the slavering audience, and after a few minutes Titania noticed that the glittering eyes were focused with horrible, angry intensity on each other, not the crowd. To them, though they never so much as touched, this was not a dance but a battle.

She didn't notice herself being caught up in their spell until the dance abruptly ended and the room erupted in wild applause and catcalls.

She signaled the waiter, who swaggered over eagerly. "Get me a room," she told him, presenting the plastic card.

The waiter bowed, fingering the card greedily. His tip was a percentage of what she spent. "With which one?" he asked.

Titania's eyes darted to the stage where the two men still posed, to the man in white. "With the god of thunder," she smirked.  _Gotcha, Rayden!_


	2. Chapter 2

She sat in the chair in the little room the waiter led her to. The chair was bolted to the floor, as were the bed against one wall and the low dresser that ran the length of the other. She supposed that when people got involved with their games and their whores they didn't want the furniture shifting around or falling over on them. She snorted softly, folding her arms across her chest. It was not something she'd ever been in a position to contemplate before.

The door opened suddenly and a man stormed into the room, sweeping the door shut behind him as he glided towards her. He was dressed as he had been on stage, except that he was not wearing a hat.

He was also not the man in white.

She was halfway to her feet when the black-clad man reached her, but his hands gripped the back of the chair on either side of her head and forced her back into her seat. Heat radiated from his body as, without pausing, he leaned down and covered her mouth with a bruising kiss.

When he broke the kiss, she could only stare at him, frozen in shock and horror. With barely a pause, he scooped her up with one arm and carried her to the low bed. He dropped her onto the mattress and smoothly crawled on top of her. He attacked her lips again, his hands opening the buttons on her blouse, and that at last freed Titania from her stupor. She screamed into his mouth, fists pummeling his back, but he merely captured her hands with one of his and pulled them above her head. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head aside.

"Why do you protest, sweet one?" His voice was deep and rough as he nuzzled her neck. "Isn't this what you wanted? What you  _paid_  for?" His free hand lifted her skirt, caressing the lace on her thighs where the stockings ended. He ground his hips against her, only the smallest bits of leather and lace separating their flesh.

Titania gasped, "Shao Kahn!"

Quicker than a snake, he recoiled from her, drawing back until he was kneeling over her. His eyes glittered with the promise of violence. "How do you know…that… _name_?" he snarled.

She wriggled out from under him, pulled herself up onto her elbows and, summoning the powerful birthright she wished she'd remembered earlier, smacked him across the face with all the strength of a goddess.

The blow whipped Shao Kahn's head around and knocked him clear off the bed. He landed on the hard floor like a ton of bricks and lay still, unconscious. Titania stared down at him, heart thundering from the unexpected assault, and her mind finally began to process what had nearly happened.

"He…he couldn't…to me…to  _me…_ " she murmured. Her trembling fingers played across her bruised lips and the room seemed to tilt around her. She fell back onto the mattress in a dead faint.

* * *

Rayden stared at himself in the full length mirror. He hated this costume, hated the charade he was forced to play by the Elder Gods. Most of all, he hated who he was forced to play it with.

There was a knock at the door. A thin, nervous man he recognized as one of the club's part-time employees barged in without waiting for an answer. He was babbling something almost incoherently and gesturing behind him, down the hall towards the guest rooms. Rayden sighed. He gathered that there had been some kind of incident; it happened surprisingly frequently with these rich, high-strung women. He followed the little man obligingly to the designated room, then made a shooing motion. The man hovered uncertainly for a minute before fleeing, clearly glad that someone else would deal with the problem.

Rayden opened the door, and stopped. Nothing could have prepared him for the sight of his brother, face down on the floor and unconscious, and the love of his life, sprawled on the bed and also unconscious. As he jumped to the most logical conclusion fury exploded through his mind, then melted into satisfaction when he saw the purpling bruise on Shao Kahn's face. However Titania had come to be in this room alone with his brother, she had clearly not appreciated the room's usual purpose, or Shao Kahn's actions towards that end.

He called the man back to haul Shao Kahn's dead weight from the room, affecting amusement and calmly assuring him that he was more than capable of charming the lady out of her current state of distress, and closed the door firmly in his gawking face. Then, when they were finally alone, he seated himself gently beside Titania.

He adroitly straightened her clothes and brushed a lock of disheveled hair back from her cheek. His hand lingered on her cheek, caressing. It had been centuries since she'd left Earthrealm to return to her home, the barriers between worlds separating him from her forever. He'd spent lifetimes pining for this woman.

He noticed his hand was trembling and drew back from her, turning away.


	3. Chapter 3

Titania's first waking was chaotic. She jolted upright with a fearful cry, tumbling into a startled Rayden's arms.

"Titania," he gripped her shoulders, giving her a little shake. "Titania!" At the sound of her name, her wild eyes focused on his, softened, and filled with tears.

"Don't let him-" she choked. "You won't…you won't…?" Her eyes searched the room behind him.

"Shhh," he pulled her closer, stroking her hair comfortingly. "You're safe."

She took a deep breath, sighed into his shoulder, and went limp. Rayden eased her gently back onto the bed and silently vowed vengeance on his brother. Again.

* * *

When Titania woke again, her first sight was of the god of thunder. He sat on the edge of the bed, facing away from her and dressed once more in his traditional garb. His hands gripped the edge of the mattress as if afraid what would happen if he let go. She studied his profile silently.

"Why did you come here?" he asked quietly without moving.

He'd known she had awakened. A slow blink was the only indication of her surprise.

"You know there's only one way I could be here. Only one reason it would be allowed." She lifted herself slowly into a sitting position and bent her mouth close to his ear. "Why can I find what the Elder Gods cannot?"

He startled, though at her words or her nearness she was uncertain, and turned towards her. There was a hint of something strange in his eyes, embarrassment perhaps, or guilt. "I'm sorry," he said solemnly.

She drew back without meaning to, eyes widening. "You forged a bond between us," she murmured. He dropped his eyes in acknowledgement. Titania felt joy and anger warring within her. Joy that Rayden had chosen her. Anger that he had done so without her permission. Truthfully, his actions were a far greater violation of her person than anything Shao Kahn would have done to her body.

Truthfully, she didn't mind at all.

She touched her fingers under his chin, turning his face towards her again. "Then you are mine," she purred, and had the pleasure of seeing his eyes darken with passion before she closed the distance and pressed her lips to his.

The kiss was sweet and gentle, the first exploration between new lovers. As they broke apart, Titania brought her hands to Rayden's cheeks, caressing his face and hair as she pressed closer to him. "'Tania," he sighed, "We shouldn't…"

"It's too late," she interrupted, an impish smile quirking her lips. "You brought this on yourself. I've been chasing you a long time, Rayden." His name rolled off her tongue and he drew a shuddering breath. She leaned toward him again and whispered, "Let go."

This time when she kissed him, his response was powerful, his arms coming at last around her shoulders to pull her full against his chest. As he deepened the kiss, she couldn't help the satisfied hum that rumbled from deep in her throat. Her hands tangled tightly in his hair as his trailed down her arms and over her bare legs.

She didn't realize they were moving until her head hit the pillow, and then her surprise was quickly swallowed by desire as his body settled solidly over hers. Electricity danced between them as his immortal nature called to hers, setting her entire body afire.

Her last coherent thought for some time was of lightning.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" she asked sometime later. "Why is Shao Kahn here with you?"

The darkness in the room was complete, but they had learned each other's bodies intimately and needed no light. Titania ran her hands through Rayden's silver hair and he sighed against her shoulder.

"It's complicated," he muttered at last.

She laughed and felt him twitch in surprise. "Two ancient immortal enemies are working together at a strip joint," she said wryly. "How could it  _not_  be complicated?"

"Well, when you put it that way," he huffed, but she could tell he was smiling. He shifted against her and it was her turn to sigh, reveling in the sensation of their bodies twining together.

There was a contemplative silence before Rayden spoke again. "The Elder Gods have been studying humanity," he began. "They have seen it evolve over the centuries. Disputes used to be resolved through a physical challenge."

"Mortal Kombat," she murmured.

"Yes," he nodded, "But in recent years the trend has turned to more…diplomatic solutions."

She frowned. "Strip clubs are diplomatic?"

"Not exactly. The Elder Gods have become fascinated with the idea that troublesome members of society can be educated and re-integrated into normal life. They stripped Shao Kahn of his powers, made him mortal, and sent him to Earth to learn to live among the humans."

"And they sent you to watch over him?" Titania guessed.

"They sent me with him," he confirmed, and heard his unspoken words through the tension in his body. She caressed his cheek and pressed gentle kisses along his jaw. That the Elder Gods would levy the same judgment on the Protector of Earthrealm seemed unnaturally harsh.

"But you are not powerless," she said. "Not mortal."

"In the end, my title and position afforded me certain protections. And didn't that just drive Shao Kahn mad," he smirked. Titania laughed softly.

"But the Elder Gods didn't look far enough into the intricacies of modern life," Rayden continued. "It's impossible to do anything in this world without a history, an identity."

"Except work at high class nightclubs."

"It didn't start at high class," he muttered darkly.

She hugged him to her impulsively. "Oh my poor love!" she teased. "Forced to endure the seedy underbelly of humanity with your worst enemy!" She paused. "Did it work? The Elder Gods' plan?"

Rayden snorted. "Of course not. Unless you count a kind of desperate civility. I'm all Shao Kahn has."

"Well, the charade is over now. You are formally recalled to your duties. The world needs its Thunder God. And your brother can come too." She sniffed disdainfully. "I suppose I'd rather have both of you than neither."

Rayden grinned wickedly in the darkness. "Now now, there's an extra fee for that." He was rewarded with her outraged shriek.

"I don't even want to  _think_  about that," she groaned, and he covered her mouth with a kiss.

"Then don't," he whispered.

* * *

When dawn broke the next day, the morning light found three impressive figures standing on the roof of the drab brown building that cleverly masked its exotic interior.

Titania had shed her modern suit for the traditional flowing silks of her home. Before her stood the Protector of Earthrealm and the Emperor of Outworld, both looking much more themselves than they had the night before. She fought the blush that threatened to stain her cheeks, but knew she had failed when Rayden's lips twitch as he suppressed a smirk.

Thankfully, Shao Kahn was too busy ignoring her to notice the silent exchange. He had his arms folded over his chest and was glaring at the sun, a multicolored bruise gracing one cheek. He had no clue what had transpired after she had knocked him senseless, but he would not soon forgive her for the blow.

"It's almost time," she said a bit sadly, meeting Rayden's eyes. They both knew that the Elder Gods were likely to return her directly to her realm, sealed off from both Earthrealm and Outworld. She held out her hand to Rayden, not caring what Shao Kahn saw or thought. "I will see you again," she said softly.

Just as his fingers touched hers, she felt the vast awareness of the Elder Gods sweep over her.

The world vanished in a blaze of light and when she could see again she was back in her own home, the rising sun casting pink light through the large windows of her bedroom.

In spite of being separated from Rayden again, Titania felt no sorrow. She sank onto her bed and touched her fingers to her lips with a smile. The Elder Gods were right; she shared a special bond with the Thunder God.

She would find him.


End file.
